Alcohol

[Ozzie65]

Good Evening. I've been on a weight loss journey for a little over a year. I am fairly new to Fitbit, but have been a loyal MyFitnessPal user. I am a runner and also try to lift weights at least 1-2 times per week. When I started , I was at my heaviest, around 202 pounds. I am currently 164, give or take. So, here's the question, I have completely changed the way I eat. I have cut out most fast food and am very strict about logging my food into MyFitnessPal. What I have not done is cut out my 1 to 2 drinks/glasses of wine per night. Like I said, I am currently in the 164 range. My goal weight is 155. I am really stuck. Although I am very active and sticking to my calorie intake, I am having trouble with these last few pounds. Could it be the alcohol? Thanks in advance
~Ozzie

[WendyB]

Sometimes the last few are the hardest to lose.

Are you eating the same thing every Day? Doing the same Exercises?

If so you need to mix it up. Eat different things. Do different exercises.

Our bodies get use to the same thing all the time. Trick it in to doing somethig new.

If that doesnt work then Cut out the wine. Maybe just 1 glass?

But I would try the other first. I ♥ my vino

[Caramammal]

only way to find out.....ditch the wine for a week or 2 and see what happens.

[Heybales]

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@Ozzie65 wrote:
Good Evening. I've been on a weight loss journey for a little over a year. I am fairly new to Fitbit, but have been a loyal MyFitnessPal user. I am a runner and also try to lift weights at least 1-2 times per week. When I started , I was at my heaviest, around 202 pounds. I am currently 164, give or take. So, here's the question, I have completely changed the way I eat. I have cut out most fast food and am very strict about logging my food into MyFitnessPal. What I have not done is cut out my 1 to 2 drinks/glasses of wine per night. Like I said, I am currently in the 164 range. My goal weight is 155. I am really stuck. Although I am very active and sticking to my calorie intake, I am having trouble with these last few pounds. Could it be the alcohol? Thanks in advance
~Ozzie

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I'll bet not.

All the calories you log for alcohol can't even be used because the body is spending energy trying to get it out of it's system.

Most people crash and burn their metabolism just before goal weight is reached.

Have you changed your weight loss goal amount to 1/2 lb weekly, 250 cal deficit? That's much more reasonable this close to goal weight.

Yes, you will be eating more, and if your body is like most, it has gotten stressed and adapted through the whole diet. You are no longer burning what Fitbit estimates you are.

You should maintain weight for a few weeks while body destresses a bit, that wine may even help you to have a whoosh effect of retained water in fat cells.

Actually, depending on how aggressive a deficit you've had up till now, your muscle glycogen stores could be at a decently depleted state all the time. Those extra calorie will refill them. The store with water.

So more water weight that increases metabolism to manage it - good news!

Bad news, it may be a fast 1-2 lbs water weight gain, but you were going to get that back when you went to maintenance anyway. Same faster weight you lost when you started.

[Ozzie65]

Thanks, Hey. I have changed to a 250 calorie deficit. I've been at a 500 calorie deficit for a very long time. 

I appreciate the input.

~~ Ozzie

[SunsetRunner]

This is where I am at.  I have two more bad habits to break, decrease or eliminate all together to find out if it's these two bad habits that are hampering my weight loss efforts (I'd like to lose 50 lbs).  The habits are:  Diet Cola in the a.m. and that 1-2 glasses of wine during the week and then any social gatherings or evenings out with my hubby to enjoy some wine at dinner.  I'm on your mission to ditch it (the wine is first) for 2 weeks or so to see what happens.  I've conquered the healthier eating (lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, water, etc), the 6 days of exercise, 60 minutes each day with strength and stretching incorporated.  So, I'm left to ponder if it's these two bad habits that are hampering the numbers coming off the scale.  I have lost lots of inches, gained alot of muscle mass, but do not see the numbers come off the scale.  Can anyone relate to this experience?  Can anyone help.  From, Frustrated.  

[Heybales]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

This is where I am at.  I have two more bad habits to break, decrease or eliminate all together to find out if it's these two bad habits that are hampering my weight loss efforts (I'd like to lose 50 lbs).  The habits are:  Diet Cola in the a.m. and that 1-2 glasses of wine during the week and then any social gatherings or evenings out with my hubby to enjoy some wine at dinner.  I'm on your mission to ditch it (the wine is first) for 2 weeks or so to see what happens.  I've conquered the healthier eating (lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, water, etc), the 6 days of exercise, 60 minutes each day with strength and stretching incorporated.  So, I'm left to ponder if it's these two bad habits that are hampering the numbers coming off the scale.  I have lost lots of inches, gained alot of muscle mass, but do not see the numbers come off the scale.  Can anyone relate to this experience?  Can anyone help.  From, Frustrated.  

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It's a lot harder to gain muscle mass then you think, especially as woman and no progressive overload routine being done.

I'll bet your issue is not with the wine - it's what the wine goes with - which is a very inaccurately logged meal of foods and calories.

Eating out is always increased inaccuracy for  meals.

The diet coke probably won't do anything except maybe make you eat more at lunch because of the sweet taste of it. Which if you plan your lunch and pre-log it - won't matter because you eat what you got, no more.

If you break down and hit the vending machine because the diet code made your sweet tooth go off - then by all means stop it.

If you aren't losing weight but inches, you are losing fat, and with that much exercise you are gaining LBM (which is everything NOT fat, but it's NOT only muscle either).

But this also means you are eating at maintenance.

If you think you are eating less than you burn - either your food logging is way off and inaccurate, or your exercise burn calories are way off, or your daily activity calories are.

1st one is easiest to be wrong by a huge amount, especially if eating out. 1 meal could wipe out a weeks deficit easily by inaccuracy, especially if you add wine and estimation gets worse.

Ever gone week with no eating out, and weighing everything that goes through mouth?

Because calories is per gram, not per spoon or cup.

2nd one usually isn't a huge inaccuracy during what is normally a short time of the day, unless your workouts are really intense for 2-4 hrs, but Fitbit is way off on accuracy.

What are workouts exactly for those 60 min?

And what Fitbit are you using, accuracy can be improved depending on those 2 things.

3rd one could be bad either direction, like if massive amounts of extra steps are seen, and therefore inflated calorie burn daily. Or stride length is off by decent amount causing bigger/smaller calorie burn that should be.

Have you ever confirmed in daily 5 min graph that no bogus steps are showing up?

Have you ever confirmed distance seen by Fitbit when doing average daily pace walk?

[shipo]

My only suggestion would be to lose the diet soda first; I'd be far less concerned about a couple glasses of wine per week.

[USAF-Larry]

Wine is only about 100 calories per 5oz glass, so that shouldn't be much of a problem. I have a glass of dark red wine with dinner every evening, and never considered the few calories to be a problem.  Cola, on the other hand is a problem and should be eliminated, regardless of whether it is regular or diet cola. Regular cola is full of sugar, and diet cola fuels hunger cravings. So, neither are beneficial.

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you.  I do agree with you.  I have heard about all the "bad" stuff in diet colas; their artificial sweetners and all other nasty chemicals.  I will conquer this one first.  While, I'm doing that, I will take baby steps to lessen or eliminate my wine even more.  

[SunsetRunner]

I do agree considering all the "bad" stuff I have read about in the diet colas.  So, goodbye diet cola drinking.  Any encouragement will be helpful as soda has been in my family since I was a young child (family managed an arcade; junk was at my disposal).  

[SunsetRunner]

Yes, I do agree when you start drinking that wine it makes you hungry for more food  The same with cola.  Everything I have heard from fitbit users and have read on line about diet cola; its a real hazard for your health in so many different ways.  With that said, I will take the advice of the fitbit users and start weaning off the diet cola to quit it altogether.  I do think both those liquids are an attractant for MORE!!!  Eating out is hazardous to anyones calorie counting, healthier living lifestyle.  

I have a FitBit Charge HR.  My 60 minutes 6 days a week are on the treadmill with 2 days each week of strength and yoga exercises.  

No, I have not confirmed in Fitbit looking at data using those two methods you suggested.  I will have to give that a try.  

[divedragon]

I use a blood test meter to measure my ketones and my blood glucose and here is what I've learned about the impact of alcohol.  Wine has carbs, so that will up your blood sugar a bit.  Other alcohol like whiskey doesn't.  I practice Intermittent fasting and I've had both in a fasted state and measured the impact on blood sugar and ketosis levels.  Whiskey doesn;'t affect either where wine (2 glasses) raises sugar a bit and lowers ketone levels.

Having said this, when I was doing a 20:4 fasting schedule, I was drinking and not loosing.  What I discovered is that even though the alcohol wasn't affecting my sugar or ketones sigfnicantly, the period of time I was fasting was drastically reduced.  For example, if say I ate a 1000 calorie meal.  This could take 8-12 hours to digest and deplete my body of serum glucose so I would start burning fat again.  But with alcohol added, the body stops all other digestion to metabolize the alcohol because it sees it as sort of a poison.  Each oz can take 1-2 hours to metabolize so 3 oz could delay the start of digestion by up to 6 hours.  Add the 8-12 hours for the meal on top of that and you could have up to 18 hours to fully digest a 1000 calories meal, leaving only 2 hours of actual fasting.  You get more on a 3 meal a day plan without alcohol.

So yes, alcohol may be affecting your weight loss.  You have to be sure you are counting those calories as part of your total intake and the metabolic period to rid yourself of it.

[rfc1995]

@divedragon that's a very helpful post.  One thing I'm curious about (I admit I'm a bourbon lover being from the south), but I've always heard that clear alcohol is better than "dark" alcohol due to the calories/sugar.  In particular, whiskey such as bourbon or corn mash I had thought were loaded with sugar from the fermentation of the corn.  Is that not correct?

One more question:  I've recently seen a lot about fasting.  As for intermittent fasting, how is it done by you exactly ie the 20/4 you mention.  Is that fast for 20 and a four hour eat window?  Any thoughts appreciated.

[divedragon]

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@rfc1995 wrote:

@divedragon that's a very helpful post.  One thing I'm curious about (I admit I'm a bourbon lover being from the south), but I've always heard that clear alcohol is better than "dark" alcohol due to the calories/sugar.  In particular, whiskey such as bourbon or corn mash I had thought were loaded with sugar from the fermentation of the corn.  Is that not correct?

One more question:  I've recently seen a lot about fasting.  As for intermittent fasting, how is it done by you exactly ie the 20/4 you mention.  Is that fast for 20 and a four hour eat window?  Any thoughts appreciated.

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@rfc1995

Not quite.  During the fermentation process, the sugars are converted to alcohol.  The distilling process then sucks that alcohol out of the mash, the result being a clear liquid.  What gives any whiskey it's characteristic amber color is the barrels which are first scortched to carmelize the wood sugars and it's that carmelization that colors the whiskey as it ages.  So no carbs in the end product.

On the fasting, yes, I was fasting for 20 hours and eating for 4.  Basically, I was just eating one big meal a day.  I've since switched my protocol so that I eat dinner on Tuesday and Thursday.  On Saturday and Sunday, I eat 3 meals each day.  That gives me a near 48 hour fast on Monday and Wednesday and about a 36 hour fast on Friday.

[rfc1995]

@divedragon thanks a ton.  you've educated me on bourbon AND fasting.  So the bourbon is basically a clear alcohol?  Interesting.  Good news for me.  About the fasting:  Does it just generally make you feel better all around?  And is it drastic, or subtle?  sorry for all the questions, but thanks again

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks for all the good information. I became educated. Since I have
enjoyed my glass of cabernet for several years now, it sounds like I should
do a switch to a clear liquid. I enjoy my wine because it's enjoyable at
room temperature and warming on those cold winter nights. I know I would
not like any whiskey's, bourbons. Something lighter that maybe a little
better than the wine.

[rfc1995]

@SunsetRunner give it a try.....it's impossible to not like bourbon!

[shipo]

@SunsetRunner, I say stay with what you like; any change to your overall heart rate isn't going to amount to much.

@rfc1995, Hmmm, I love a nice smoky Single Malt, however, burbon?  Meh, not so much, I'd rather have a glass of milk or a nice hoppy IPA.

[rfc1995]

I'll disagree with you on the glass of milk.  Never could get into single malt.  Love the IPA, so on that we agree.  Rye whiskey good as well.

@SunsetRunner perhaps a good change would be Pimms.  The English love it, especially in the summer.  There is both gin and vodka pimms.  Very light, though, and great with a cookout.  Of course, the english love to drink it, like most things, to excess, god love 'em and their little brexit hearts